Category Archives: Stories

What makes us human? After all, we are often reminded that our DNA differs from chimpanzees by only 1%. Thus why is it while they are swinging from trees we are accomplishing feats like creating beautiful art, or bring technology to uncharted areas? There are notable physical differences, like an opposable thumb or our larger, more developed brain, but our differences run far beyond the physical. As a human race, we have the ability to adapt like no other. This ability to adapt has moved our race forward, and can move you forward on a day to day basis.

If you study our history, even crudely, you will come across countless examples of us adapting: in our humble beginnings food was scarce and dangerous to catch: thus we developed ways to make this process easier- we began to hunt in packs, we developed weapons to more easily hunt our prey. To be able to live in even the most frigid of conditions, we made warm clothing that allowed us to survive. More recently, to satisfy our insatiable need for accessible information, the internet was created. Now, if I were thinking, “I wonder when William Shakespeare was born?” the advent of the internet and our ability to adapt has made it possible for me to type “Shakespeare birthday” into my internet search engine and have the answer in seconds.[1]As a human race we have an uncanny ability to adapt. Even if the rules change we can (and will) master any game.

This idea of being adaptable need not only apply to the whole of the human race though; if applied to our daily lives, we can enrich ourselves as individuals. I realize this is an abstract concept, so allow me to give you a more concrete and personal example: I attended college and went to school to obtain a medical degree. I trained as a medical resident in Family Practice. I currently hold a Medical License in Michigan. I tell you this only because I am hoping to make it clear that my life was geared toward working. Then, in March of 2013 I was diagnosed with a brain tumor that brought my plans to work to a screeching halt. Given this abrupt change, it would have been easy to throw my hands up and surrender; however embedded in my genes (as well as in the genes of every single human being) was a trait that implored me to adapt. The field goal posts might have moved but I still wanted to play the game. Even though I was on a path to opening my own practice, now with the curve-ball life has thrown me I still use my medical knowledge for the benefit of others. I ask you to do the same: adapt. As a human race we have adapted to progress; as individuals we can change to further our lives. I will leave you with a quote from Bruce Lee, “Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”[2]

Let’s do a thought experiment together: Let’s take a middle aged woman and for one year everyone she encountered told her that they saw a unicorn that day. Her dad would slip in a casual, “did you see what that unicorn did?”, in conversation. Even kids would ask their parents, “mommy, did you see that unicorn at the zoo?” (At the exact moment this person is walking by; at the exact right sound level for her to overhear). My guess is that the year would start with this person wondering why the hell is everyone saying they saw a unicorn? Is that a euphemism for something else?

Then, after a month, doubt would start to creep in. Unicorns are fake right? She might google “unicorn” to make sure (according to the first hit, Wikipedia, “The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.”)[1]Ok, why did it say ‘legendary’ and not ‘mythological’? Does legendary mean it never existed?After six months, she would seriously question her previously held belief that unicorns never existed. Maybe a trip to the local library to research unicorns takes place. Instead of just brushing off her dad, and ignoring his ‘unicorn comment’, she might ask him about it. At the year mark, my bet is that a significant percentage of these (hypothetical) subjects would in fact believe in unicorns.

Even if one out of 1000 were converted into unicorn believers (or ‘unicorners’ as we in the know say) then the hypothesis of the experiment is proven. I used a middle aged person to emphasize the fact that they previously held solid beliefs that unicorns were mythological (and legendary). However, through external forces, this belief was put into question. But it is not until these external forces are internalized that doubt starts to creep in. Finally, it is not until internalization is complete that this person begins to believe in unicorns.

The point of this experiment is not to highlight the gullibility of some of these subjects, but to portray the power of human thought. We have all heard of the cliché power of thought (from Socrates to pop culture in movies like Inception), but this experiment proves the limitless power that it truly has. A creature that we all know does not exist, through thought and persuasion, reversed a strongly held belief. Thus, we can convince ourselves that bad luck only happens to us, or we can harness the power that made our subject think that unicorns are real, and believe in our abilities. If a person is faced with any situation or obstacle, there are countless ways they can react to it. Use the power of your thought to react in a beneficial way. In this age of superheroes, little did we know that we each had a superpower within us. Maybe unicorns are real.

I recently had the thought, “I wish I could do that”. I then realized how counterproductive it was for me to think this way. We all have fleeting thoughts of objects or abilities we wished we had; those we cannot avoid, but when these thoughts become more than fleeting, even consuming, that is when we must remember to focus on what we have and can do, rather than on what we cannot.

Even though the premise of this message seems straight-forward, it is one that is often forgotten. We all wish we had more money; maybe you wish you wish you were taller, or had different color hair. Perhaps you desire more power at your job. We all wish and hope for different possessions and talents, but we cannot let these desires consume and overtake us. Instead, we should be grateful for what we do have and can do. Personally, I mentioned earlier how I wished I could do that; my 4 year old son had just asked me to play catch with him. I knew my poor motor skills would not allow me to do so, so it was at that time I wished I could do that. Thankfully though, that only lasted a minute, as I have not had thought again. . . Until now. But my point is, that if I allowed these thoughts to consume me I’d either go crazy or sink into depression (or both); I think it’s important instead to hone in on what I can do instead.

Many people, much smarter than me, postulate that our minds are like basins being filled with water that are our thoughts and emotions. Thus, according to this theory, that Pythagorean Theory we learned back middle school (you remember it, right?), takes up some space in the storage of our minds. Some facts might be hidden deeper in there and tougher to find, like counting to ten in a foreign language, but they’re in there. It just might take some time for you to fish them out. Thus, why fill this precious space with useless thoughts of what you do not have or cannot do?

Yes, at the core this is a piece about optimism; I am simply telling you what you already knew: be optimistic, not pessimistic. But if this message is so simple, why is it so often forgotten? Studies show that optimists succeed more than pessimists. This makes sense when faced with a problem; while a pessimist would fold and surrender early to let it go and deem the problem unsolvable, an optimist would instead find a way to solve it with the tools he/she has. Thus, my last 445 words to you can be boiled down to one straight-forward message: be an optimist, not a pessimist.

Please know that the reason I devoted a whole article to this thought is that it is an important one.

As the saying goes, “a few bad apples can spoil the bunch.” The underlying idea is that you can have a basket of crunchy, delicious apples, but the mere presence of a rotten one can ruin all of them. The aftermath of the shootings in Las Vegas and Texas had me constantly harping back to this saying.

“Why?” you may wonder. After devastating events like these, when I turn on the television, or pick up a newspaper, I am bombarded with notions like ‘these events signaling the demise of our culture’. While for me, my first thought was for the families of the victims of these horrific events and how another human being could commit such horrific acts.

But then I thought more, as sappy as it may sound, human beings are beautiful and while these isolated horrible events may skew our outlook, I implore you to see through this fog to humanity. Don’t let some ‘bad apples ruin the batch’.

During this time you may hear people from the left or right claim that this is either a gun control or mental health issue, but do not forget that these are the same people who gave such wondrous gifts as human flight, or produced moving words such as, “to be or not to be: that is the question.”[1]

I, by no means, wish to belittle the tragic events from these past several months, but I do hope to remind everyone reading this that while some people may commit some ugly and heinous acts, this is the same species that gave us poetry and music.

With this being the holiday season, our thoughts on who and what to give ‘thanks’ to is part of the tradition; for me, amidst all these horrific events, I will (counter-intuitively) give thanks to the 7.6 billion people living on this planet (minus 2). These accomplishments and feats are so numerous that me giving you specific examples here would be fruitless. Yes, these horrific events tell us that change must be undertaken. What that change is, is up to you.

But do not let the few ‘bad apples’ we witnessed in Las Vegas and Texas ruin our appreciation for the batch of humanity.

I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2013, right in the middle of my medical residency. Before that, I was just going through the motions, making sure I saw enough patients to reach my numbers, graduate, and practice on my own. But on March 13, 2013, my view of medicine changed drastically—and I owe it all to love.

Love diagnosed me, treated me, helped me through the hospitalization, and aids in my recovery to this day. In short, love saved my life. On that day in 2013 when I developed double vision, a prominent, local neurologist obtained the MRI and laboratory work that gave me a diagnosis. Unlike me, he wasn’t merely going through the motions. He loved his craft and it was because of this love that I was diagnosed.

When I needed surgery, the neurologist consulted with a neurosurgeon who performed the 16-hour surgery. What possesses someone to operate for 16 hours? What drove him to wake up every morning before the sun rises to visit me? Only love of his art could motivate him, I believe.

In my initial post-operative phase, I was in the ICU for one week, followed by a month-long stay on the general floor where I received dozens of visitors, including my primary care physician; a rehabilitation doctor; speech, occupational, and physical therapists; a neurologist; an ophthalmologist, and a neuropsychologist.

Many of these visits, especially from the physical therapist, were frustrating. Saying words like bumblebee, or putting pegs in a board did not thrill me. Many times I wanted to skip these appointments, but the love of my wife and two sons always urged me on.

It was the love of my friends that reminded me that I would get better. It was their love that gave me the hope I needed. Now, when I am doing balance exercises at the gym, I close my eyes and picture my friends and family. Their love makes me do that extra exercise; they are the reason I try to recover.

My words may sound cliché, but no matter how I spin it, I can’t get around the fact that love has been the driving force behind this whole journey, from diagnosis to recovery.

As a physician, I hope to use this love in all my encounters. The days of going through the motions are behind me. I realize it is unrealistic to love every one of my future patients. Instead, I will love the art of medicine and the fact that I am fortunate enough to be in a position to help people.

Christopher Chiou, MD, practices family medicine in Okemos, MI, where he lives with his wife, who is also a doctor, and two sons. He has recently begun writing about health in various journals.

If you are looking for a profound article describing the meaning of life, then read no further, this is not that kind of article. I was just reminded recently about the idea of supplements. In fact, one of the EBTS members, Andrew Walker, recently posted, “A nutritionist suggested some supplements to support [the] brain…” Now before I go on, you might finish this article and think, jeez, does Chris not like supplements? I want to answer that right from the onset; my response is a little complex, but ultimately the answer is, “I do not know.” Let me explain:

In medicine, we are trained to be weary of dietary supplements. The idea behind this is that these supplements are not researched and approved by the FDA. This does not mean that they are disapproved, it simply means that that particular drug or dietary aid has not been studied. Numerous supplements like multi-vitamins, glucosamine chondroitin, and melatonin, I actually encourage my patients to take. While these have not been approved by the FDA, they have stood the test of time. However, for every one of these effective remedies, many more questionable ones exist. My mind cannot go away from e-cigarettes when mentioning this. I know they are not technically a supplement, but many of the ideas are the same. While, the idea of replacing a ‘regular’ cigarette with a device that delivers nicotine in a different way is a good thought, the problem is that we have absolutely no idea what is in them. For all we know, e-cigarettes could contain trace amounts of rat poison. Or it could contain some magical compound that stops smoking. The point is that we have no clue what is in e-cigarettes or supplements; they lack the research needed to know their contents or effectiveness.

So, in the end, my thoughts on supplements is one of uncertainty. I have been fortunate enough to be on both sides of the conversation: I have both suggested and been advised to take a certain supplement.

My only advice to you is to be your own FDA, and research and study what you are considering to put in your body. Part of that research may include asking your physician, in hopes that he/she also has studied the supplement in question and can share their findings and thoughts with you. Your research may include posing a question to a group like the EBTS (like Andrew).

For this month, Brain Tumor Awareness Month, I am writing about the issue of awareness and what it truly means to be aware.
The month of May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month, which is one of many months in our society. We have Black History Month, Breast Cancer Month, and LGBT Month, among others.
But what does it mean to be truly aware? I think, too often the reaction to hearing of this month’s observance is, “Really? Interesting.” (In a flippant manner). Or if someone wants to go a step further, the response may be, “Cool! I know someone with Breast Cancer”, or “I know someone Brain Cancer.” But is that true awareness? Is that what is meant when a whole month is devoted to the subject?
I must admit that in medical school, Brain Tumors was a topic that was only taught as part of another topic with maybe 10 minutes of lecture time devoted to the condition. We were taught of only the most deadly Brain Tumor Cancers, numbering maybe 15 afflictions. Prior to my surgery, I had never heard of Epidermoid Brain Tumors. I’m sure Neurology or Neurosurgical specialties study them more in-depth, but even in medical school we did not learn about Brain Tumors in much detail.
Merriam-Webster defines aware as having or showing realization, perception, or knowledge. Simply knowing of Brain Tumor’s existence does not fulfill this definition.
To do this month justice, we ought to delve deeper. For me, this means learning about more than the 15 Brain Tumors taught in my medical school. For many of us in this group, we either have a loved one with an Epidermoid Brain Tumor, or have been diagnosed personally with an Epidermoid Brain Tumor. But I contend that we should take this a step further and try to learn more of Brain Tumors. Take 10 minutes out of your day to read an informative article on the topic. Even though I have been afflicted with a Brain Tumor myself, I am going to devote more time to learning of the condition and its vast implications. But learning of the scientific facts of the condition is not enough; as I mentioned earlier, most of you are incredibly privileged to be, or have someone in your life with this disease, knowing about a topic is more than knowing the facts of it; broaden your knowledge by feeling the experience: ask someone you know about their condition and how it affects their life.
This month, I urge you to take time to learn more. This way, when someone says to you, “Did you know it is Brain Tumor Awareness Month?”, while your reply might be a passing, “yeah”, now you will be more informed.

My hope is that this month does not become a mere side note, but an event that makes you change your realization, perception, and knowledge of the topic.

Fear is defined by Merriam Webster as to be afraid or apprehensive.[1]But while we know how to define fear, where does it come from? The question of fear and its basis is an important one. But when I thought of it more, the answer became clear: we fear what we do not understand.

One only needs to look at countless examples from our history to see this: before the Wright brothers mastered the art of flight, flying was seen as not only an impossible endeavor, but also one that ensured death; before 1968 it was seen as ludicrous to even attempt an unconventional method for high jumping. Then came along a man by the name of Dick Fosbury who revolutionized the high jump on the way to winning a Gold Medal.[2] My point is that difference can lead to a lack of understanding, which begets fear.

I have experienced much of this in my own life: growing up Asian in a primarily white neighborhood led to some (but not many) misunderstandings and fear. I played tennis growing up and was once asked by an opposing team member, “how I could possibly see the court with my slanted eyes?” This lack of understanding is amplified now with my current condition as most who come across me are unsure what (or what not) to assume.

For you, does being told that you (or a loved one) have a ‘brain tumor’ scare you? Perhaps it’s because all we know is that brain tumor = bad. Maybe if we better understood them our fears would be lessened. I remember when I received my diagnosis, I was scared; a flood of questions came to my mind: What is an Epidermoid Tumor? How is it treated? Does it require surgery? How long have I had it? I could list the countless number of questions that came to mind, but the point is not the number of questions, the point is that I was asking myself these questions, a sign of my lack of understanding, which led to my fear.

Thus, in the future, when you find yourself anxiety-ridden over an upcoming (or past) event or happening, try to turn this fear into inquisition, to broaden your understanding. Hopefully, this will help to quell your angst.

At this time of the year, with January 1st here, I feel it is both an appropriate and vital time to think about what it means to reflect. If you were to ask a 10 year old what reflection is, they might say it is the image produced when you look into a mirror (or glass or still water). The truth is that (besides that being one of the definitions of the word) they would not be too far from what I discuss here; when I think about reflection, I do not think about a physical image that is produced when looking on a certain material, but a less tangible ideal where our past actions and occurrences are pondered. The thought of a physical image that details how we look upon an object (whether it be a mirror or a window) does not stray too far from this existential meaning; in both one sees oneself in their true form.

When I think back to this year, I recall the countless interactions I had; from the cashier at a local grocery store to ones with my close friends. I know what I meant by my actions and words, but were they received differently, I ponder. How has my diagnosis of an Epidermoid Brain Tumor affect my life? Even though the diagnosis and subsequent surgery was back in 2013, I still often wonder questions about it. While I am also thankful that I am able to write for you through the EBTS, I often ask myself if the topics of my pieces are appropriate ones: would different topics be a better read for you? You’ll find that this process of reflection often generates more questions. Don’t let this discourage you, this process should create questions. The art of reflection is a process, not a magic trick, where you instantaneously emerge an improved human being; asking questions is not only an initial step, but also one that happens in the middle of it.

Reflection is how we grow. If Steve Jobs did not reflect on his past successes and failures, would the Apple technology be where it is today? If Albert Einstein simply accepted a half-hearted Theory of Relativity, this concept would likely be a lost one today. The point is not that reflection will always produce an iPhone, or time-space continuum theories, but that reflection is crucial for our progression, as both a human race and individually as people.

So during this time of year, take some time to pause and reflect on your past; whether it be a new brain tumor diagnosis, or perhaps a short interaction with an acquaintance, take time to ask yourself, ‘how did this affect me? Could I have handled it differently? Have I or the people around me changed because of it?’

The art of reflection is an important one that is vital to both us as individuals and the human race as a whole. Use this time of year to reflect. Most importantly, have a safe and Happy New Year!

I had a thought today about society’s feelings towards the idea of miracles. I also recently watched a television program that discussed the topic. In this program an interesting question was posed: “What is a miracle?” How do we, as a society, define miracles? Many (or most) religions are centered around figures that performed miraculous ‘acts’; Jesus walked on water and Moses parted the Red Sea. But is this how we define a miracle? Webster defines a miracle as “a very amazing or unusual event, thing, or achievement.” Even though this encapsulates the acts of Jesus and Moses; are miracles solely limited to acts such as these? I am reminded of a fact we are taught in medicine, most lung cancers are due to smoking, but most smokers do not get lung cancer. The idea is the same with these miracles: these acts by prophets are miracles, but not all miracles are performed by prophets. Delving even a layer deeper, as I asked of you in the beginning of this piece, what defines a miracle? I believe that miracles happen to us every day. When you open your eyes after waking, or hear the birds singing their song; to me this is a miracle.

Why ask this question? As a society we value these miraculous events as a sign of intervention from God. Many religions are based on these events; thus the importance of exploring this topic further is paramount to an understanding of religion and our society as a whole. But are we limiting ourselves when we define miracles like this? To me, after studying the human body, every single heartbeat, every breath we take is “an amazing event, thing or achievement.” Instead of looking in obscure places for these events, I think we need not look further than our daily lives for examples of personal miracles, and events for which we feel grateful and in awe.

As I said earlier, in my studies of the human body, how every cell in our body serves a function of our existence is a miracle to me. But this definition is not only limited to human physiology. Several years ago I contacted the Epidermoid Brain Tumor Society hoping to become a member. Instead, I came into contact with Linda Frevert and Fay Powell; not only did they graciously allow me to become a member, but they also asked that I write a column for the group. To me, countless numbers of personal miracles occurred with this: firstly, allowing me to be part of this group with all of your amazing stories has been surreal. Next, allowing me to share my thoughts with you has been an incredible experience. These are my personal miracles, and I feel truly blessed.

Please do not misconstrue my words, I am by no means trying to degrade or put these acts into question – endless literature and theologians focus on this; I am simply questioning our definition of the word. What I am questioning is the limitation we produce when we define miracles as some magical act. To me, miracles are more common than we believe. Divine intervention still always has a hand in its occurrence.